i like the look of these. ive been pretty impressed with the dirt wizard though in the slop. are they available in the UK?

Spoon on Nicholson Street is great!

Rosscore – was discussing Jason King this week with a mate – specifically his totally inappropriate album as Peter Wyngarde from 1970 – ‘When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head’, bad fashion is the least concerning thing about it.

some of that stuff is great! i’d rock that to work

(i work from home – home is cottage in the middle of nowhere)

like everyone, I was totally dismayed by the absolutely disgusting treatment for this dog. however, I’m also a campaigner for many animal charities (as well as a mountain biker) and it’s not that different from the way many cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, ducks or chickens are treated every single day.

its all so wrong.

‘i was right about that saddle though’

Thought it was great and loved seeing the Pentlands making an appearance (although not a route I’ve attempted!)

one day ill buy a torque wrench

Les Rallizes Denudes
White Fence
Bitchin Bajas

The Force Awakens…

you’ll only need a paperclip to restart if it crashes…

me!

john at industrycottage dot co dot uk

I’ve had my Jones (ti SF) for 5 years new and I still cant believe how good it is. It was a massive commitment to me (and a big bank loan!) and I’d never even seen one – never mind ridden one prior to getting mine built up – super risky!

It took me 6 months to get the set up right, had loads of tinkering with the bars but just absolutely love it now.

To this day, I can’t decide if I like how it looks but the way it rides and feels a seems so much better than anything else I’ve ever been on. Its been x30, x10 and ss, 29/29+ front and fat front, full bike packing mode and pedalled through grim Scottish winters and its never disappointed.

Sure, Jeff Jones – ideas/bikes/components splits opinion and I’m a fussy guy so I’d always respond honestly – if it was rubbish, I’d have sold it and moved on.

Understand it’s not for everyone but for anyone curious, they need to have a spin on one to get a sense of what’s going on. Its now my only bike, I can’t think of a scenario where I’d every choose anything else…

I’ve got a fat front (nate) and a 29/29+ front wheel for my jones.

love the fat front but really notice a difference in zippiness with the 29+ front. running a knard or dirt wizard, a bit of toe overlap much it’s not really ever been an issue. actually just like being able to look out the window and see what the weather’s doing or how long fancy being out – and just grabbing the front wheel for the day. havent ran a standard 29 tyre on the front since i started to experiment with + and fat!

running all these with a rear 2.3 ardent (in the summer) and a gato for the other 50 weeks of the year… front and rear 29 wheels are running p-35 rims with I’m gonna replace soon after 5 years of mashing.

ive got the 120tpi version. its just more magical i reckon.

I was a bit underwhelmed on the first pass of –

‘Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle’
by The Olivia Tremor Control.

Then I listened again, and again…

I’m a bit of music snob and have a habit of righting loads of stuff of almost immediately and then rediscovering it on shuffle and loving it.

I’m mates with Stewart Lee.

I also worked in football for years and met loads of ‘stars’ – with very few notable exceptions, almost all are dull as ditch water.

most of the famous folk i want to meet these days are a) dead b) live in japan

paramount printers down leith way are my go-to guys

fatmax

you can go up to blackhill summit from threipmuir/dens cleugh path. there is a rough quad bike track not far beyond the ruin, it flatten out nearer to top.

you then get a great descent down the gravel track al the down to logans cottage in the morning to warm up. and ive been lucky with very cool cloud inversions around the kips at first light as well. marvellous stuff.

top of black hill! great spot for sunrise as well.

guilty. my bike is called ‘the jones’ (its my only bike so ‘the bike’ would do),

my wife has caught me out once or twice for talking about various biking tales thats ive started with ‘we’ when it was just me and the bike!

ive a history of relating to inanimate objects, only child with a big imagination!

long shot…

something like a hawthorn branch or nail/ piece of wood. somehow stuck into your side wall and then ripped out as it hit your frame? big enough to do the damage whilst small enough that you didnt notice at the time?

my fat front jones comfortably fits into my wives fiat 500 and there is still plenty room
(this is not a coded message)

ho ho! thats not what i meant – honest!

to the op – i find stories like this dismaying and less and less isolated. i share your wife and your anger.

I’m learned respect for the outdoors from my dad. even talking to many people around age, (I’m 42), a basic understand of nature/wild life/the local countryside may as well be written in hieroglyphics. as for the younger generation, i can only guess its even more abstract.

the sad reality is that we are surrounded by many stupid folk. saying that always makes me feel horrible but its true – simple stuff like closing a gate behind you or taking your litter home is just a step too far, never mind generally respecting whatever you find out there… just because you could wreck something doesn’t mean its actually a good idea.

i studied sculpture at art school and won a scholarship to german in the late 90s. i was amazed a how much you could get away with, in regards to public art. fragile or dangerous works were left alone as people simple knew to not go near. meanwhile returning back to scotland, the christmas tree at the foot of leith walk only have lights on the top quarter of the tree because folk steal or smash the bulbs. one of these small things that stick in my mind.

i sound like my dad now, no wonder i hide out in the country…

a tent up the pentlands?

you’ve sold some wheels – what are you buying with the cash?

i had two recently within 250m of each other. had a bit of tantrum. bloody hawthorns.

‘id eat chips out her knickers’ seems like a good compliment.

apparently something a famous jockey said when knew he had found the “one” years ago during an interview

– i was young but i remember my parents both rolling around the floor laughing

i never have matching rear and front tyres.

total mish-mash of various surly, maxxis, geax and on-ones depending on conditions and time of year. i do line up the all tyre logos with the valve though, I’m not a total savage.

a shatners bassoon

first album was actually bought myself was ‘burning blue soul’ by matt johnson
– its still one of my favourites and thats nothing to do with sentimentality.

high jump at high school, crash mats slipped apart – smash! ouch!!!!!!!!!!

i remember taking in very easy for several weeks after and decades later, I’m still very guarded/protective about bashing it again. i don’t think there is much practically you can do other than painkillers (which i aways try to not take) and rest…

Given Mays track record for implementing things, I’m quite positive, brexit is being implemented by someone with a track record for failure to complete. Hooray.

i like your thinking! fingers/toes etc crossed.

possibly of interest, i spend a day exploring whether law last autumn. mainly gravel forest tracks with some singletrack and hiking. worth considering adding this into a route as you pass so near… very nice and clearly not visited often.

Jones, Jones and Jones

Spoke to Jeff a few times and he had some really helpful advice on my build choice. Both Shiela and Jeff were really helpful with shipping and advising on customs type stuff.

But the real reason they are my favourite bike brand is the bike is now 5 and it still makes me grin, i still get that ‘new bike’ tingle riding it. it never fails to amaze me, it rides so much better than anything else I’ve ever been on.

id never even seen, let alone ridden a jones prior to getting this built up and it was a massive gamble. all the import nonsense, 9 months waiting for it and all the tinkering getting it just right were totally worth it.

cant see me ever thinking differently… the hype around Jones is real in my opinion. Weird looking and mind-blowing bikes etc!!!

just replaced my gore cable today as its frayed near the shifter (still works prefectly).

i appear to have been lucky!

its been flawless for 5 years!

replaced it with a shimano one just to see how that does…

im a big fan of animals in general (and i eat none of them).

as far a stuff i see whilst biking in the uk – a yellowhammer always makes me smile – lovely little things…

i left a cosy job with a good salary to start my own business from home. in the first year, i made barely half my old salary. the business is finally starting to turn the corner now after almost two years. hopefully that continues…

the thing ive discover though is that its easy to get caught up in what your salary is. i had to learn quickly what money i actually need versus what id like to have. whilst i didnt have the steady income, hitting amount x meant id keep my head above water for another month. i was amazed how little the figure was – considering no more commuting/lunches/friday pints in town etc.

and in the times when your working into the small hours or cant go out for a big weekend biking adventure due to a looming deadline, its still good because your generating chunky invoices… I’m not were i want to be yet but if things continue to be like they have in the last 3 months, then ill be happy. not very rich, but very happy, creative and inspired again. probably easier to live with as well.

and as far as the op’s post – within reason, a job that pays less well that give your loads more happiness is definitely worth considering. being unhappy at work really takes its toll on your wellbeing and as others have said – life is sadly waaaaay too short.

The last track on the new Pita album ‘Get In’ called ‘Mfbk’ is fantastic. Surprising mellow for him, could loop for hours beautifully.

Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo by Lovisoni/Messina is super chilled as well…

Got days of ‘ambient’ stuff, just listing two of the things ive played today that would fit the op’s criteria.